Summer Paradise
by ChayseElric
Summary: "This is our summer paradise Winry." Edward whispered, leaning down so his face was just inches from mine. "And I promise, we'll return. Someday."
1. Chapter 1

Winry's POV.

I walked down the soft white sand of the island, the cool breeze blowing my blonde hair out behind me. I found the perfect spot, right underneath the shade of a dark green palm tree. Sighing in happiness, I pulled the blue towel off of my shoulder and lay it down across the sand. For a moment I stood there, facing towards the ocean watching as the waves continuously kissed the sand. Pulling up the straps of my dark blue bikini, I stretched and lowered myself onto the towel, staring up at palm trees and the bright blue sky, before closing my eyes and smiling softly. I lay there for less than a minute before I heard a voice calling over the sound of the waves. "Winry!" it called over and over, causing me to groan. "What Edward?" I called back, groaning and sitting up on the towel. "Can you come here for a minute?" he called back causing me to groan once again. "Better just throw the whole idea of relaxing out the window." I murmured to myself, sighing and pulling myself up. I stood up and picked up the towel off the sand, throwing it over my shoulder before turning around, jogging down through the sand and back to the beach house.

Looking up at the double doors, I was faced with Edward Elric. His forearms were leaning against the railing of the deck, his hands hanging off as he tapped his automail fingers against the dark oak. "So, what did you need?" I asked, flipping my hair behind my shoulder. "Well uh.. This fell out off of my arm." he chuckled nervously, standing up and reaching into his pocket, pulling out a silver screw and smiling nervously. "Do you at least know where it came from?" I asked, walking over and dropping my towel over my shoulder before grabbing the silver screw in my hand and twirling it between my fingers. "No, I don't." Ed chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Ugh, this happens every other week, what were you doing?" I asked, sighing and walking past him.  
"I tripped." he chuckled, following me through the double doors. "That seems logical." I stated rolling my eyes and walking into the kitchen, grabbing a bright red apple before placing the screw on the table, before I pulled myself on the counter and watched Edward. He was playing with his silver watch, once again. "You seem nervous Ed, what's wrong?" I asked, watching as his golden eyes connected with mine. "Er, nothing." he stuttered, a soft blush creeping across his face. I took a bite of my apple and jumped off the counter, swallowing the piece and walking over to him. "It's fine, tell me when you want to." I chuckled, kissing his cheek and heading off to my room.

My feet padded against the hardwood floors as I navigated myself through the small hallways of the beach house. The door to my room was already open, and I skipped inside, making my way over to my suitcase. After I had unzipped my zipper, I grabbed a tank-top and a pair of short shorts. I started humming softly to myself as I pulled the black tank over my head, adjusting where it lay on my shoulders making sure that my bikini straps weren't showing. I stopped humming and pulled my short shorts on, zipping the zipper and buttoning them up before grabbing a screwdriver off the bedside table, smiling I took off running down the hallway. "So, are you ready for me to fix you up?" I asked Edward, who was standing in the same spot that I had left him. "Er, uh. Yeah." He chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

I motioned for him to sit down on the counter that I was positioned on earlier. He had a small smirk on his face as he sat down, dropping his hands into his lap."Okay, do you happen to know where this screw came from, Ed." I asked once again, groaning as I figured out why he was smirking. "No." he choked out before his childish laughter echoed through the hallways. "Well why don't you fix your own damn automail?" I asked, pressing my hand against my forehead and dropping my screwdriver against the white marble counter-top, probably leaving a dent. "I'm sorry Winry." he chuckled, attempting to stop laughing. "Ed, this is supposed to be our vacation, and we haven't been doing much vacationing." I stated, pulling myself up on the counter, so that I could find out where the screw belonged. "I'm sorry Winry." he muttered softly, pushing his hair behind his ear. "It's fine Ed, you can make it up to me though." I giggled, finding where the screw was supposed to be and grabbing my screwdriver before twisting the screw into place. "And how would I do that." he asked, twisting his head to the side so he met my gaze. His golden eyes bore into mine as he waited for my response. I jumped off the counter, my feet hitting the ground with a thud before I spun around to meet Ed once again. "Take me swimming."


	2. Chapter 2

Edward looked at me and raised one eyebrow, staring at me funny as I leaned against the counter opposite to him. "Uh, you do know that I still have automail right?" He asked, pointing at his arm then at his leg. "No, Ed. I didn't have the slightest clue." I stated, rolling my eyes and chuckling softly. "But honestly, did I not tell you that I used a different coating on the auto-mail this time so it wouldn't rust? Or did I forget to tell you that." I asked, glancing at him before looking at the ceiling. "Well, I don't remember that being said, but that is really awesome and I think we should go swimming." Ed stated, a smile growing across his face. "I mean, there could always be small patches of rust on it, but trust me, I brought extras." I chuckled, walking over to him and standing in front of him, a small smirk on my face. "Well, I knew that was a possibility, it's not completely rust protected because there are multiple components of different metals on it." He chuckled. "Now you are starting to sound like me, now go get your ass upstairs and grab your swimming gear, I'll meet you outside." I smiled, pointing to the staircase before running past him and out the double doors. My bare-feet padded against the soft sand as I ran, pulling off my shirt to expose my bikini top. I let a shout of excitement escape my mouth as my feet touched the warm water of the ocean. The sun was just about to set and it was sending a beautiful golden glow across the teal tinted water, causing my mouth to open slightly in amazement. "Ed, what's taking you so long!" I shouted with my hands cupped around my mouth. "Calm down Winry, I'm coming!" Edward shouted as he ran down the steps and towards me. "Oh god don't tackle me." I squealed jumping to the side and giggling softly. "I wasn't planning on it, but okay." He stated, raising a eyebrow. I quickly unbuttoned my shorts and pulled them down so that I was completely in my swimsuit and I looked up to see Ed staring at me in awe. "The hell you staring at me for?" I squealed slightly before smacking him softly on the shoulder, running down the shore and past him. "Winry get back here!" He shouted, loud laughs escaping his mouth before he took off behind me. I kept running, the wind blowing my hair into my face causing my vision to blur and after a while, I stopped running and lowered myself onto the sand, stretching my body out. "Wow, you sure get tired quick." Edward stated, jogging up beside me and standing there watching me. "Shut up Elric." I muttered, flipping my middle finger up at him. "Now that's impolite Winry, stop being rude." he chuckled, sitting down in the sand beside me. "Whatever." I chuckled, smacking his chest softly. "Ouch, for somebody who wanted to go swimming so bad, it looks like they aren't doing much swimming." Edward stated, pulling himself up again and extending a hand out to me, "Come on, the water's warm"

Before I had any say of getting up, Edward pulled on my hand, causing me to fly up into a standing position before he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. His automail made a pain grow against my hip, but honestly I could care less. "Edward you little-, don't you dare drop me!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around his neck and struggling to get free. "Ugh, you're ruining all the fun Win." he muttered jokingly, slowly lowering me into the now knee deep water. "Oh shut up, at least the water is nice." I chuckled, standing beside him and leaning against his cold automail arm. "I guess that's true." he smiled, wrapping his arm around me and draping it around my shoulder. "Where's Alphonse?" I asked, looking up at Edward's peaceful face, he chuckled to himself and then smiled. "Al has been in his room all day, I don't know but he might have caught a cold or something while being here." he muttered, looking into the waves. "I find that highly unlikely, Al isn't one to get sick all the time. He could just be reading or playing on that freaking laptop you bought him" I chuckled, walking slightly deeper into the water. "Hey! It was a birthday present, and he wanted it for so long." He exclaimed, walking forward to catch up with me. "I guess that's true, but come on, let's have at least a little bit of swimming time before we have to go check on him." I exclaimed, grabbing Edward's hand and pulling him under the water with me. I held my breath as I broke the lock on our hands, so I could swim out a little bit, and when I surfaced to breathe only the tips of my toes touched the sand. "Wow, the sky is beautiful eh?" Edward asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my torso. "Yeah it really is." I whispered back, leaning my head against his chest with a smile on my face. "I wish we could capture this moment." Edward whispered, pressing his chin against my shoulder. "And why is that?" I asked, turning my head slightly to look at him. His golden hair was now a light brown due to the water, and drops of water were falling off of his head and onto my shoulder. "Because I haven't spent any quality time with you in so long, and I kind of miss it." he muttered, smiling at me. "Well in that case, I'd like to capture it too."

"Edward, do you think we should go check on Alphonse now?" I asked as we stood in the water, the dark finally dawning on us. "Yeah, I think we should." He stated, unwrapping his arm from around me and making his way to the shore, me following close behind. I wrapped my arms around my chest as we stepped out of the water, the cold breeze catching me off guard. "Damn it's freaking cold!" I exclaimed, running my hands up and down my exposed arms as goosebumps arose. "Here, wrap it around yourself." Edward chuckled, throwing me a extra large towel that went down to mid calf. "Thank the lord for you Ed." I exclaimed, wrapping the blanket around me and warming up slowly but surely. Edward laughed lightly as he wrapped his own towel around himself, in a hurry to dry himself off. While he was working on that, I completely dried myself off and wrapped the towel around my shoulders, so my hair wouldn't drip onto the floor. "Okay, you can have a shower first, I'll just get changed and head up to check on Al, if that's okay with you." I stated, looking behind me for a moment. "Yeah that's fine, just hurry up girl." Edward exclaimed playfully, pushing me inside the door. "Aha, I will!" I exclaimed, throwing my towel to the side of the door and dashing down the hallway and into my room. Pushing the door open, I jogged inside and to the side of my already opened suitcase. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a black bandeau before I tore off my bikini and got changed quickly. The only reason I was rushing is because I wanted to make sure that Alphonse was okay. Ever since I had to see how their mother was during her sickness, I have always been wary of the boys getting sick because I never want the same thing to happen with them. I couldn't bear to lose anyone else. I didn't even bother pulling socks on over my feet, but I dashed down the hallway once again, and when I reached the stairs, slowing down and taking my time with them. My feet padded against the ground as I made my way down the narrow hallway, to the last bedroom on the right. When I reached it I knocked softly, hoping for a response. "Al, are you awake?" I whispered, loud enough for him to hear me. I heard a muffled groan from the other side of the door and I let myself in. "Alphonse?" I asked, walking into the darkness of his room. There was a loud coughing from the corner of Al's room, where his bed was and I walked over, pulling my damp hair into a ponytail before flicking his lamp on. Alphonse was curled up on his bed, his skin shimmering with sweat and a pained expression on his face. "Al?" I exclaimed, dropping to my knees in front of the bed and pressing my hand to his forehead. "W-Winry?" he choked out in between coughs. "You seem sick." I stated, pointing out the obvious. "Okay, Alphonse I'll be right back." I muttered, pressing a soft kiss to his sweaty forehead before dashing out of his room. "Edward!" I called as I ran down the steps, hoping that he hadn't hopped in the shower yet. "Ed!" I called again, my voice echoing through the dark house. "What, are you okay?" Edward asked, jogging into the room. "I need you to flip the couch into bed form, Alphonse isn't doing to well and I think it would be better to check him out down here opposed to upstairs."


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you think you can grab everything I might need, like a towel, thermometer and some cough/cold medicine, I'm going to run to get Alphonse quickly." I stated, as Edward unfolded the bed. "Yeah, blankets too?" he asked as he put the cushions back onto the pull out bed. "Yeah, that would be helpful, thank-you Edward." I stated, turning on my heels and dashing back up the stairs. I slowed down my movement as I approached Al's door, just in case he was sensitive. I made sure not to flick on the main light as I walked into the room. "Alphonse?" I asked, retaking up my place on my knees in front of his bed. "W-Winry, why does everything hurt?" Al whispered, pain surging through each and every one of his words. "I don't know Al, do you think you might be able to sit up for me?" I asked, reaching forward and pressing a hand to his sweat coated forehead. "I-I think so." he choked, squeezing his eyes closed and sitting himself up on the bed. His feet swung off the side of the bed and hit onto my thighs, but I didn't mind. "Can you walk?" I asked, grabbing his hands with both of mine. "I-I'm not sure, c-can you help me just in case." he asked, continuing to keep his eyes clamped shut. "Yeah, wrap your arm around my shoulder and I'll support most of your weight." I whispered, wrapping my arm around the top half of his torso. He lightly opened his eyes, only to wince and close them once again before he helped me steady him. I reached my free hand back so I could flick the light off before pulling myself into a standing position and steadying him fully. "Thanks." Alphonse whispered, his hair falling over his face as we took the first couple steps. "Are you sound sensitive?" I asked, frowning and looking down at him with worry. "I don't know, why?" he strained even to talk. "Because I'm gonna call Edward so we can carry you better, so I don't accidentally drop you or something. "Go ahead." he winced, pressing his head to his shoulder so one of his ears were covered. "Edward!" I called, loud enough so he could hear, but not loud enough to hurt Alphonse badly. Within moments, I heard Ed's running footsteps up the stairs before he burst into the room. "Alphonse, are you okay?" Edward frantically asked, jogging over and brushing the stray hair out of his face. "Brother, I'm fine but we need some help." he whispered back.

After we got Alphonse settled on the couch, we had discovered that his temperature was ten over the normal percentage and even after giving some medicine to him, his symptoms had not ceased. He was sent into coughing fits at least once every five minutes and his frail body was shaking on the ma tress that he was laying against. His light brown hair was now dark with sweat in the front and his breathing was heavy and irregular. Edward was the one who was taking this the hardest. He hated seeing his brother in any type of pain, any way shape or form. He had not taken his eyes off of Al the whole time we had been here, he was wincing every single time that Alphonse coughed or sighed and rolled over, because he knew in this he was useless. Sort of like Roy Mustang on a rainy day. "E-Ed?" Alphonse choked out in-between coughs before lifting his head up slightly. "Yes, Al?" Edward asked, springing from his perch on his recliner to kneeling right by Al's side. "Can you get me a glass of water?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and choked. "Yes, I'll be right back." he exclaimed, dashing away calling Alphonse to wince. "You feeling any better Al?" I asked, pulling myself onto the mattress beside him, grabbing his pale hand and holding it in my own. Even though I didn't say anything about it. Seeing Alphonse in this situation was heart-wrenching. This boy was like a brother to me, along with Edward and knowing that both of us were helpless in this situation, was ripping us apart. "Y-Yeah." he whispered, draping his free arm over his face. "Earlier I couldn't even move my arms and I was having hot and cold shakes, but they have died down." I sighed in relief, hoping that the rest of this sickness would mull over just as quickly as it did earlier. "Did the medicine help?" I asked, rubbing my thumb in circular motions over the back of his hand. "Uh no." he whispered, coughing into his free hand. After that I just continued rubbing my thumb against his hand until Edward came back. "Here you go Al." Edward whispered, holding the glass near his hand, but waiting patiently for me to help him sit up. "Thanks brother." Alphonse choked, grabbing the glass in his shaking hand, causing a few drops of water to fall on his dark green tank top. "Here." I whispered, leaning over and helping Alphonse bring the cold glass of water to his lips, helping the unsteadiness of his hand. "Thanks Winry." he sighed, handing the glass over to me and laying black down, closing his green eyes tightly. We weren't even sitting there in silence for ten minutes before a shrill ringing came from the kitchen, causing Alphonse to cringe. "I'll get it, Edward stay here with Al." I sighed, crawling off the bed and jogging down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Hello?" I asked, picking up the phone and holding it up against my ear. I knew who it was without even looking at the caller I.D, seeing as Roy Mustang was the only one with this residence's phone number. "Hello Winry, how are things going up there?" Colonel Mustang asked, a smile visible through his voice. "Pretty well, I can't thank you enough for letting us stay here for a couple weeks." I stated, chuckling softly. "Really, It's no problem. With you there, I don't have to worry about the brothers, Edward in particular. Making a mess of things." I let a soft laugh come out of my mouth before sighing and leaning against the wall. "Is there something wrong Winry?" Roy asked, worry in his voice. "Yeah, hold on a second, I'm going to leave the room before speaking." I whispered, holding the phone to my shoulder as I walked out the front door and onto the patio. "I'm back, and I really don't know how to explain it." I whispered, bringing the phone back up to my ear and rubbing my arms from the sudden cold. "Well try to explain it as best as you can, I have time." Roy said calmly waiting for me to go on. "Do you know how Ed and Al's mother died when they were younger to a sudden sickness, plague thing?" I asked, walking a few steps to the stairs and sitting down. "Yeah, what are you getting at here?" he asked, and I could hear the sound of his work chair reclining. "Well Alphonse has come down with something. I'm really worried because even though they might not remember, I do. And he is having half the symptoms Tricia had before her condition worsened. To be honest, I'm terrified." I whispered, my voice breaking softly at the end. "Oh." Roy muttered, and you could practically hear him tensing up. "Would you like me to have somebody sent down there, somebody who could help Alphonse?" he asked, pure worried amplified in his voice. "I would appreciate that, I don't want to be alone with Ed through this. It's already starting to take it's toll on him." I whispered, feeling water build up in my eyes. "Do you have any particular person you would like to come down there? Maybe a friends of Alphonse's?" Roy questioned, and you could hear the faint tapping of something against his desk. "Well, do you happen to know of a girl name Ashley Conners?" I asked, knowing that Alphonse had met a girl by that name in the hospital and became quite good friends with her. "Oh yes, Ashley. I think that I'll be able to manage to get her out of school for a couple weeks, Amestris Academy shouldn't mind too much." he stated, switching the ears he was using for the phone. "Thank you so much Colonel Alphonse is great friends with this girl and I think that would be a amazing opportunity to have her come out here." I exclaimed, jumping off my area on the stairs. "No problem Winry, I'm going to go call the Academy, so I'll have to call you tomorrow to tell you the results." He chuckled, "Thanks Colonel, talk to you tomorrow." I laughed, pressing the end button on the phone.

The second I put the phone on the wooden steps, a wave of darkness wiped over me.

What would happen if Alphonse did have the same thing as Tricia did?


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up in the morning to the sun shining in through the window causing me to groan and roll over. My head was pounding with a headache and my back was sore because of the position I was sleeping on the recliner in. I moved myself into a sitting position, pulling the hair tie off my wrist and pulling my already messy hair into a messy bun. My eyes were still squinted from the light and I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a noise from the side of me. I darted my head over and was relieved to find that Edward had just moved and his automail arm had just banged against the coffee table. I sighed in relief and pulled myself up, walking straight to the kitchen, rubbing my forehead softly. My head pounded even harder as I reached up to grab a bottle of aspirin causing my face to curl into a cringe. Being in a tropical climate with sun everywhere, did not help the headache. "Ugh." I groaned, grabbing a cup out of the cupboard and filling it up with water. I quickly swallowed the pill and rested my body against the counter, squeezing my eyes shut. "Winry, are you okay?" a voice asked from the door, causing me to jump and cringe. "Yeah, I'm fine." I whispered, covering my eyes with with my hand. "Are you sure?" Edward asked, him standing right in front of me now. Shaking my head I sprung forward, wrapping my arms around his torso and burying my head in his shoulder, breathing the deep scent of his cologne in. "What's wrong?" He asked, wrapping his arms around my back and pulling me close against him. "Everything Edward, I have a headache for one and I'm worried about Alphonse." I whispered, the heavy feeling of tears building at the back of my eyes. "Winry, don't worry. It's just a common cold." Edward whispered, pulling away just enough so that he could look into my eyes with his golden ones. I bit my lip softly and felt the tears building up in my eyes "But w-what if.." I whispered, cutting myself off short as I saw his eyes widening. "No, don't you even dare think that he's having the same thing that mom had, it's not possible even if it was, Al can survive it, he's a strong kid!" Edward stated, keeping his eyes wide. "But what if, what would happen to us after that. I can't handle loosing anyone else!" I sobbed, tears falling from my eyes at a rapid rate, increasing the pain of the headache. Edward made a strangled sound at the back of his throat, causing me to pull myself to him once again, sobs escaping my lips. "No.. It's not possible." he whispered, his voice wobbling as he buried his head in my hair. I could tell that what I was believing could happen because he was trembling slightly as he rubbed my back in slow circles. Even though his calming notion did help, it didn't stop the tears that were falling from my eyes. I was slowly soaking his white t-shirt, but he didn't mind. "Thank-you Edward." I whispered into his shirt, pulling away and sniffling softly. "Don't worry about it Winry. By the way, stay strong." Edward stated, smiling at me before walking into the living-room to give Al the next dose of medicine.

Soon after, my headache had died down wildly and there was soon only a throbbing pain surging through it every once in a while. I had retaken up my spot on the steps, just wallowing in my own thoughts again. Edward had tried to get me to come inside about a half a hour ago, but I remained unresponsive, causing him to give up and return to comforting his brother. I was surprised actually. By the way I was acting. I had never once did this unless both of the brothers had been on a dangerous mission somewhere, and I didn't know what could become of them, didn't even know if they would live to see the next day. But even then, I wasn't as shut off then as I was being right now. I ran a hand through my hair every now and then, and looked back out towards the waves. I was almost a hundred percent sure that I would have a extreme sunburn by the time I went back inside, but whatever. I had my hands knotted together in my lap, trying to calm myself but nothing was really working. "Screw it." I stated, the heat finally getting the best of me. I stood up and jogged in bare feet down the beach, when I reached the waters edge I slowed my pace and sat down, so that every time the waves would kiss the shore, I would be caught in between. The coolness of the waters worked wonders on calming me down, and saving me from the raging heat of the sun. I had my knees pulled up to my chest and my head was laying on top of my left knee, as I stared across the water. I knew that I should have been inside, taking care of Alphonse, but I couldn't bring myself to go back inside. Sighing I closed my eyes and buried my head in between my knees, as I felt the wind surge around me, blowing my hair around my face. The only thing that really snapped me out of my trance was the sound of a motor in the distance. I jumped off the ground, standing there and looking at the dot that was growing bigger and bigger by the second, and I turned around and ran up to the porch, grabbing a extra towel and wrapping it around my waist before I walked back out and continued to watch the dot. When it came into view, I realized that it was a boat, that was containing two people in military uniforms. I sighed in relief and stood there, a smile growing on my face as they approached. When they were close enough, I realized that Colonel Mustang and Ashley were both in the boat, causing one of my eyebrows to raise in confusion. "What brings you here Colonel? Hi Ashley!" I stated walking a few steps into the water, smiling slightly. "Wow, it's beautiful here." Ashley whispered in amazement, standing up and looking back at the ocean. "Hello Winry, I'm here because Private Ashley doesn't know how to drive a boat, let alone how to get here." he chuckled, stopping the motor on the boat and jumping out, his black boots causing the water around him to splash everywhere, including on me. "Oh god, I can't jump in there, my converse will be ruined!" she stated, her face reddening as she groaned. "Ashley, just take them off and throw them to me, they'll be fine." I chuckled, holding my arms out so she could throw them at me.

"Okay, here's the thing. I didn't exactly tell Ed and Al that you were coming, so they may be slightly surprised." I stated, smiling sadly and looking at the ground as I dragged one of Ashley's suitcases behind me. "And why didn't you tell them?" Colonel asked, looking at me oddly. "Because I haven't been able to look at either of them without breaking into tears." I stated, speeding up my slow walk and rushing slightly ahead of them. I could feel both of their eyes on me as I walked up the steps and into the house, the suitcase in tow. "Edward! We have company!" I shouted, walking down the hallway and putting Ashley's stuff in the spare room on the bottom floor. As I stood in her room I sighed loudly, looking around before I looked up to see the dark brown eyes of Ashley Conners. A fake smile lit up my face and I pointed to where I had put all of her stuff as I explained about how she had access to whatever she wanted to do in this house, and she even had her own bathroom. "Winry, are you okay?" she asked, a frown lightly tinging her face. "Yes I'm fine, I'm going to let you get settled, if you need anything you can find me in the room right beside, or on the porch." I smiled sadly before I walked out of the room, my smile falling as I walked. I balled my fists up as I walked, wondering why the hell I was acting this way. Alphonse and Edward needed me, yet I couldn't even talk or look at either of them. I felt like I was being a huge let down to all of them. I heard Edward calling my name as I walked back outside, but I didn't respond and before I knew it, I was dashing down the beach at full speed, finding somewhere that I could get away. Even for just a little bit.


	5. Chapter 5

Edward Elric's POV;

"Al... Alphonse." I whispered, lightly nudging his shoulder so that he didn't wake up frantically. His eyes fluttered slightly before opening and looking around the room. He let a groan escape his lips before he threw a hand over his face, blocking the light from reaching his eyes. "Al?" I asked, lowering myself onto the bed beside him and wrapping my arm around his shoulders. "We have one of your friends here, just in-case you needed somebody other than me and Winry to help you out. "Oh who is it?" Alphonse asked, removing his hand from his face to give Edward a odd look. "Remember that girl that you met at the hospital?" I asked, brushing my golden bangs out of my face before smiling lightly at him. "A-Ashley?" Alphonse asked, his sick eyes opening in anticipation. "Yeah, that's the one." I smiled, snapping my fingers and pointing at him. Al burst into a small coughing fit, causing me to reach over and rub his bare shoulder in comfort. "Thanks brother." he whispered, his voice low and scratchy. "Would you like me to get her for you?" I asked, lifting myself off the bed and standing by the side, waiting for his answer. "Yeah, I would like that." he whispered, looking down as a bright red tint crossed his face as he smiled down at his hands. I walked down the hallway, dragging my arm lightly against the dark brown wall as I smiled to myself. Alphonse was going to be okay, and as long as I kept convincing myself that it was true, the longer I could be there for him and Winry. I knocked lightly on Ashley's door as I lent against the door-frame waiting for her to walk out or to open the door. The door creaked open and the red-headed girl poked her head out, her dark brown eyes meeting with my golden ones. "Hey Ash, if you wanted to Alphonse would love to see you. He's not doing to well, but he should recover." I stated, sending a smile her way. "I hope he heals soon, I hate being away from school, but I love being able to see Alphonse, I've missed him over the past couple months" Ashley smiled, looking down at the ground and staring at her teal converse before meeting my eyes again. "Well, Alphonse has missed you too, and so have I, short stuff." I chuckled, resting my arm on her shoulder, and staring down at her. "I'm not short." She hissed, jumping away from me, causing me to bust into laughter. Ashley stared at me like I was some sort of idiot and she raised a eyebrow in curiosity. "You're just like I used to be!" I chuckled, running my hand through my bangs and sighing, shaking off the laughter as well as I could. "Aha, yeah now let's go see Alphonse." I chuckled, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the hall.

Roy Mustang's POV;

My short black hair was flying all over the place as I walked down the beach. To be honest, I missed this place a lot, and I hadn't been able to return due to problems at work and the fact that I was never able to get as much as a week off work without Hawkeye trying to kill me. But right now, my thoughts weren't necessarily focused on how much I missed this place, but more of where Winry was, and what had caused her to run. She did mention something about not being able to look at either of the boys without breaking into tears and I could understand why. Winry was probably the only one, other than Alphonse. To see Edward fully break down, and if Alphonse did pass from this sickness that he contracted, it obviously wouldn't be good for Edward or Winry. Alphonse was the only thing that Edward had left, the only family he had left and if Alphonse couldn't be there anymore, Edward could and would break down. My feet banged against the thick rock as I reached where I suspected Winry to be, because this is where I went myself when I was having flashbacks or memories. Sighing, I made my way over to Winry and lowered myself onto the rock beside Winry, both of our legs hanging off the edge of the rocks, our feet almost hitting the waves as they kissed the edge. "Winry I understand what it must feel like. I know how much Ed and Al mean to you, and I understand what it would feel like for you to lose either one of them. You've already lost so much, your parents killed by the very person they had saved, and losing Tricia shortly after that. I know what it's like to lose people you love, and I know what it feels like to lose people in general, because I killed people. But I have to assure you that nothing will happen to those boys as long as I have something to do about it. I won't let either one of them die, they mean too much to you. So I promise, I will do what I can to help Alphonse heal. Even if that means that I have to come back every week to bring supplies or nurses. I will help, no matter what it takes, I will help." I breathed, looking at the waves and then back at Winry. Her eyes were watery and a few tears had spilled over she was trying to keep herself from breaking down into sobs, and I hoped that she didn't. I hated to see girls cry, anybody cry for that matter. "Roy." She whispered, lifting her head to look up at me with a slight smile on her face as the tears started to escape. "Thank-you." she whispered once again, her voice breaking before she jumped over and wrapped her arms around my torso, causing me to smile and return the favor.

Winry Rockbell's POV;

Roy just held me as I cried into his Military jacket. He didn't speak, he didn't try to calm me down. He just held me. Something that I needed more than anything at this moment in time. My breathing was awkward and ragged at the tears had finally stopped flowing, I pulled away from Roy, dropping my tight grip on the back of his jacket, before smiling at him. "And there is another reason I need to say thank-you. Edward and Alphonse just stand there while I cry, they never take into consideration what I actually need. And sometimes, it's just a simple hug." Roy smiled at her and lifted himself off the rock, brushing off his trousers and the back of his jacket before raising a hand for me, "Come on, we wouldn't want to keep them waiting now would we.

A/N; I apologize. It's really short, but I have little to no inspiration right now :c


	6. Chapter 6

The night had gone on pretty well after my talk with Colonel Mustang, I released myself back into the house and went back to being my normal self, cooking, cleaning and most of all, taking care of Edward and Alphonse. I had to remind Edward that he needed to get up and take a shower because he was too busy staring at his soundly sleeping brother, so I had to basically push him down the hallway and into the bathroom. The Colonel had called in a requested to spend two days out here and surprisingly, they let him off. He was now lounging against the black couch in the corner as he scrawled writing inside a black leather bound notebook with a slight smile on his face. I sighed happily and lent against the door-frame that was at the edge of the kitchen as I smiled lightly to myself. "Has something got you happy Ms. Rockbell?" Mustang's voice asked, echoing through the room and causing both me and Ashley's eyes to dart up from their original places. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm happy.. I just am?" I questioned as I giggled lightly, smiling wider. "But please, call me Winry." I chuckled, smiling and jogging out of the room and up the stairs, until I finally reached my door and collapsed onto the bed. I looked out my bay window and pulled myself into a sitting position, leaning my back against the headboard as I watched the bright orange sun melt into the backdrop, causing a smile to stay firmly placed on my face. My eyes darted to the door when I heard a light rap on the door outside, I had forgotten to close the door and when I turned I saw Ashley standing there, I smile on her face as she lent against the door frame. "Hey Ash." I stated, moving over and motioning for Ashley to come sit beside me. She hesitated at first, but straightened out her shirt before shyly making her way over and sitting down beside me. The one time that I had met Ashley before this day, she was pretty quiet. She spoke few words to me and when she did she was talking in a hushed tone. But I know that now, she has come out of her shell a lot since the last time I had seen her. "How's Al?" I asked, looking back out towards the bay window once again, frowning slightly as I noticed that the sun had fully set. "Erm, I'm guessing from what Ed's said that he's better. I spent most of the day sitting beside him and he didn't seem too terribly bad but who knows? I've only been here for six hours!" she smiled, brushing her red hair out of her face. "What did Ed say?" I asked, smiling and looking down at my lap. "He said that Al's fever had gone down, and that he wasn't shaking of breathing irregularly anymore." she chuckled, rubbing her hands down her leggings showing that she was obviously nervous. "Ashy, calm down, you don't have to be nervous around me." I chuckled, patting her shoulder before dropping my hands back into my lap once again. "Oh sorry, It's just that this is the second conversation that we have ever had so, I'm slightly unsure how to deal with it." she chuckled, scratching her head in embarrassment. "Hey, to make it up to you, do you wanna go for a walk and then down for a quick swim?" I asked, smiling lightly and swinging my legs off the bed. "Er sure, but there's one problem." she frowned, looking down at her lap. "I forgot my bikini right before we freaking left." she groaned, hitting her palm against her forehead. "Don't worry about that, I brought a couple extra, but they may not fit because you are thinner than me, but I can adjust it."

Ashley and I were both standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom. I was standing behind her, trying to adjust the straps on the bikini, but it still was slightly too big. It hung loosely on her shoulders and she was scared that it could fall off while she was swimming. "Well, did you bring a tank top with you? You could just wear that over top." I suggested, trying one more time to secure the knot at the back with no progression. Sighing I gave up and leaned against the counter, looking at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes had light brown circles around them, suggesting that I needed some sleep. "Yeah, I brought a tank-top. I'll go put it on and I'll meet you outside." Ashley chuckled, throwing her towel over her shoulder and jogging down the hallway. I sighed once more, grabbing my towel and throwing it over my shoulder as I walked quickly out of the room, trying to make as little noise as I could. "Winry?" the strained voice of Alphonse asked from the couch as I passed through the living-room. "Yeah Al?" I asked, making my way over to the bedside. "Are you going outside?" Al asked, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah.. why?" I asked, pressing a hand to his forehead and sighing in relief when I found that his fever had gone down. "Please take me with you, I haven't been able to get up yet and I really want to sit on the beach." Al pleaded, grabbing onto my arms and giving me the puppy eyes. "Al, can you even walk?" I asked, chuckling lightly. "Not completely yet, but I'm getting there." He sighed, frowning and looking at his hands. "Al, don't worry about it, I can carry you down if you want to sit on the beach for a while." Roy chuckled, placing his book down on the coffee table and picking himself off the couch. "Thank you again Roy." I chuckled, smiling as he came and lifted Alphonse up into his arms, a small groan escaping his lips. "Don't drop me." Al stated, clenching his fists onto Roy's white, button up shirt. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it." Roy chuckled, following me out the the back doorway. "You know that you're my best friend now right Roy?" Alphonse asked, as Roy carried him down the beach, setting him down where the waves soaked his feet every time they came in. "Yes. I'm now aware." Roy chuckled, rolling up his jeans to his knees so he could sit down next to Al, with his feet in the water. "Thank you, it does mean a lot to him." I chuckled, dropping my towel on the dry beach behind both of them. "Don't worry, I'm willing to help out whenever I'm needed." Roy stated, smiling as he looked up at the stars. I smiled lightly and jogged back to the house, knocking the remaining dirt off my feet before I ran inside and jogged to Edward's room. I knocked softly on his door before I began to speak. "Are you going to stay in there like a creep, or join everybody at the beach?" I asked, knocking once more. "What do you mean everybody? Alphonse is outside?!" Edward called from inside, the door swinging open lightly. "Of coarse idiot, he's feeling a bit better and Roy carried him out." I chuckled, smiling at his shocked face. "I'll be out in a minute." Edward stated, disappearing back inside his door.

As I made my way back out down the hallway, I was just in time to meet Ashley at the back door. "I like that tank-top, a lot more than I should." I chuckled, smiling at the shorter girl. "It's mine, don't test me I will murder you." Ashley hissed jokingly, jumping backwards. "Why am I surrounded with hostile people at all time?" I asked, passing her and jumping out into the warm outside air, a smile on my face. "Because hostile people are the nicest inside." She chuckled, throwing her towel over the edge of the deck. "You have a fantastic point there young one." I chuckled, poking my tongue out at her before I dashed down the beach, diving into the water before she could do such as shout at me. "I'm not that young compared to you Winry!" she shouted, stomping into the water and sending a bout of water out my face. "I'm sorry, but you're just so short that I can't tell if you are young or just short!" I shouted back, chuckling as another bout of water came splashing my way. "Well, at least I'm not obsessed with auto-mail, being short is better than that!" She shouted, diving underwater. "Ugh!" I shouted, laughing lightly at out little argument as I saw both Roy, Edward and Alphonse in fits of laughter at out little argument. Casually, I pulled my middle finger out of the water and stuck it up at the three laughing boys, getting myself a even louder bout of laughter. "You guys are hopeless, I hope you know that!" I chuckled, swimming farther out in the water to catch up with Ashley. "Ashy!" I shouted, appearing behind the younger girl. "What?" she whined, spinning herself around in the water. "Having fun?" I asked, swimming so I was right beside her. "I don't like salt water too terribly much, but I could honestly get used to this." she stated, spinning around and staring at the moon, a smile imprinted across her lips. "The moon is quite beautiful tonight." She sighed, her eyes drifting lightly to the moon. "It's beautiful here every night, I'm going to save up to buy my own island so I can just stare at the moon." I said jokingly, splashing lightly towards the moon. "Come on, let's go keep the boys company." I chuckled, swimming quickly away, Ashley following at my heels.


	7. Chapter 7

All of us had made it in at an extremely late hour, but none of us seemed to terribly tired from the time that was spent in the water. Alphonse had a glow on his cheeks that he didn't have before we brought him outside, and all of us were glad that he was finally recovering, from whatever he had we didn't know of. He wasn't having troubles breathing anymore, and his fever had all but disappeared completely. Ashley seemingly did not care that Al had been sick less than twenty four hours ago because they were both sitting on the pull out couch together, Al's arms wrapped around her waist as she curled up to Al's side, her eyes fluttered closed and her head on his chest. I cooed to myself, lifting my hands up to form a heart with my fingers. Alphonse removed one of his arms from around Ashley's waist, only to lift his middle finger to me, before he dropped his hand to resume it's previous position. By the way Ed was observing Ashley and Al, you could tell just because of the softness in his eyes that he was greatly proud for his brother. I smiled lightly and rested my head against Ed's lap, feeling content just being in his presence. Personally, I could say that this whole ordeal had brought all of us closer together, even Ed and Mustang were getting along for the time being! Borrowing this beach-house from Roy had probably been the best decision that Ed and I had ever made, even though it had the twists and turns, like Al's sickness for instance, it had brought us together, and gave Alphonse a chance to come closer to a friend that he had simply met in the hospital. Roy had long since fallen asleep, and he was spread across the black leather chest, occasional snores escaping from his mouth. Chuckling lightly, so not to disturb anybody I looked up at Edward, his eyes now seemingly trained on me. "You should get some sleep." Edward whispered, brushing a wisp of my blonde hair behind my ear. "So should you, you're allowed to lay down with me I hope you know that." I grinned, moving over so he could lay down beside me, and when he finally did, I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso, pulling him closer to me. Ed eventually returned the embrace and smiled lightly, burying his face in my hair. "Goodnight Ed." I mumbled, allowing my eyes to flutter shut. "Goodnight Win." Ed whispered back, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before I drifted off into dream-land.

"Winry, wake up." the quiet voice whispered repetitively, along with tapping my forehead lightly. I finally fluttered my eyes open, being faced with bright light and dark brown eyes. "Well, good morning to you too Ashley." I yawned, stretching my back from it's place on the couch. "Sorry for waking you up, but Colonel Mustang is going to leave in a few moments time, and I'm sure you'd like to see him off." she shrugged, raising herself from her knees and pulling herself into a standing position. "Thanks Ashy." I mumbled, yawning once again and flinging my feet off the edge of the couch, my feet colliding with the cold floor lightly. "No problem." she exclaimed, saluting and skipping off. Finally, I pulled myself off the couch, eventually drifting my way out onto the porch where everyone was sporting a cup of coffee. "Where's my coffee?" I asked jokingly, pulling a seat up next to Ed. "Well, there are mugs in the cupboard, and coffee in the pot." Ashley chirped, poking her tongue out at me. "I'm well aware of how to do that, I was joking." I chuckled, watching as the smaller girl skipped off, her laughter echoing through the air. "Well, she seems to be enjoying herself here." Roy chuckled, taking a long sip of his coffee. "She sure is, probably all do to Alphonse over here." I chuckled, nudging my head to the boy who was staring lovingly after Ashley. "Huh what?" Alphonse asked, blinking a few times before his eyes focused on us. Mustang burst into a short fit of laughter that was hard to control and I let a few giggles slip out of my mouth. "Nothing Al, go back to staring at her." I chuckled, waving my hand to tell him to resume his previous actions. Alphonse muttered something unheard under his breath as he reverted his eyes back to watching Ashley as she shrieked something about foxes and boxes. "He's caught himself a interesting one." I chuckled, watching as she continued to scream. "It seems so." Ed chuckled as he pulled me out of my chair and on to my lap. "Ed, I was quite comfortable on my hard, plastic chair." I stated, smiling as he pulled me closer. "Does it look like I care?" Ed asked, nestling his head in my shoulder. "You guys would be adorable together." Roy muttered under his breath, only me managing to catch it. A blush caught across my lips and I smiled, mouthing a simple 'thank you' when his eyes caught mine. He showed a nod of understanding and rose from his chair, heading into the kitchen to place his cup in the sink. "Ed, can I steal some of your coffee?" I asked, smiling lightly at the cup that was seemingly abandoned. "Go ahead." Ed smirked, clasping his hands together in front of my stomach. I smirked in triumph and got right to stealing his cup of coffee.

"We all need to plan on getting together when we return from this vacation." Ed chuckled, walking behind us as we walked Roy to the boat he was using to get off. "That would be awesome." Alphonse chuckled, walking slowly behind Ed with his arm thrown over Ashley's shoulders. "Of coarse it would be, especially if Ashley decided to stick with us for a longer amount of time then she's planning to. "Maybe when I finish with the academy I'll move out closer, who knows." Ashley shrugged, throwing her arm around Al's waist. "Maybe I could pull a few strings and when you become a member of the military, you could join my team." Roy chuckled, tugging off his military jacket and throwing it into the boat. "That would be greatly appreciated Colonel." Ashley smiled. "Well, I best be off." Roy chuckled, just about to jump onto the boat before I grabbed his arm. "Wait, you can't leave without giving me a hug." I chuckled, spinning him around. "Of coarse, what was I thinking?" He jokingly asked, holding his arms out to welcome me. I skipped forward, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Take care of yourself." he whispered, low enough so only I could hear. "I'll try, sir." I whispered back, stepping backwards into Edward and giving him a short wave. Roy then jumped onto the boat, having Edward push him into the water before he started the motor and took off. Choruses of goodbyes echoed over the waves and I smiled, raising my hand and smiling lightly.


	8. Chapter 8

"I don't ever want to leave this Island." Alphonse sighed, leaning against Ashley. "Of coarse, none of us do." I sighed back, wrapping my arms around Ed's waist. We all stood out on the deck, watching as the waves crashed to the shore and the glittering sun sparkled against the teal waves. "We should all go swimming." Edward chirped, jumping up and down like a little child, causing my hold to be broken. "Calm down Edward, we were planning on going swimming anyway." Alphonse chuckled, hobbling by with Ashley at his heels. Al was still weak from being sick, but he could walk fairly well now, so he should be alright for swimming. "Fine fine, I'm going to go get changed." Ed chuckled, pulling away from me and skipping inside, his automail causing loud clangs as he ran. I chuckled silently, shaking my head before I followed him, only detouring to go to my room instead. Stepping inside my room, I closed the door behind me and exchanged my skirt for a pair of short shorts, and due to me being lazy, I grabbed a hair tie and pulled my shirt up halfway past my belly button before reaching behind me and tying the loose fabric together with the hair tie. "Well, that'll do." I smiled, skipping back down the stairs and out onto the hot sand. I stared out at the waves for a minute before I lowered myself down onto the sand, crossing my arms behind my head. I lifted my head only when I heard the high pitched squeal of Ashley. "Al I wouldn't do that if I were you." I chuckled, watching as he threw Ash over his shoulder and walked towards the water. "Put me down!" She shrieked, pounding her fists on his back. I chuckled lightly as Al dropped his hold on her and she tumbled down to the water with a scream. "She's going to kill you!" I called, laughing lightly. "Is she now- oof!" Al cough, having his feet knocked out from under himself by a smirking Ashley. "She warned you." Edward called, walking out of the house to resume a spot beside me. "They're going to get along just fine." I chuckled, leaning over so my head was against Ed's shoulder. "They have two entirely different personalities but they fit together." Ed smiled, gazing down at me with sparkling eyes. "I want them to kiss." I chuckled, smiling as they continued their intense water-fight "That would be awesome, right now while they were in the water." Ed smiled, staring at his brother with proud eyes. "Come on, let's go swim." I smiled, rising up and sticking a hand down for Edward. I couldn't remember what time I had fallen asleep, nor what time we had even returned from outside, but the second my head hit the pillow I had already passed out. Now I was slowly opening my eyes and I could feel the warm breath of somebody behind me and I turned my head curiously, finding Edward curled up behind me. Smiling lightly, I twisted myself around in his arms and wrapped my arms around his waist, despite the heat of the room. I rested my head on his chest and sighed, a content smile on my face. To be honest, I was expecting either Al or Ashley to come galavanting in to destroy the peace of the room, but surprisingly that time never came. After a while of silence, only the sound of Ed's breathing to be heard, I wriggled my way out from Ed's grasp, pulling myself to my feet and walking into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water, twisting the cap open and taking a large swig. I looked down to find myself wearing the usual daily outfit and I smiled, happy to know that I had at least changed before I had fallen asleep. I took another sip of water before I unlocked the back door, sliding it open before I walked out onto the deck.

Smiling lightly to myself, I took my time looking at all the beautiful features about the island, down from the sparkling sand to the crashing waves. Everything here was amazingly beautiful, nothing here lacked beauty and I wished that I could just silently steal this place from Roy. Taking occasional sips of my water, I made my way off the deck, walking alongside the sand, way out of the sun and walking into the shade. It took me all my might to not explode in laughter when I found Alphonse and Ashley laying across the sand underneath the palm-trees. "Did you stay out here the whole night?" I asked when I caught the weary eyes of Al. "We went out for a late night walk, and I guess we ended up falling asleep on the sand." Al shrugged, smiling as Ashley curled herself up closer to Al. "You guys are cute." I chuckled, kicking some sand towards their direction, but not with enough speed to actually hit them. "Winry, I might need to speak with you later, privately. I don't really think it's something that brother will understand completely because I do not think he is a girl, unless he has been hiding a extremely large secret." Al chuckled, controlling his laughter so he didn't wake Ash. "Of coarse Al, I don't mind going for a walk later or something." I shrugged, smiling down at him. "Maybe I could even show you a few places that Roy showed me about this island." I suggested, chuckling when he nodded happily. "Thank-you Winry." "No problem Al." I smiled, continuing my walk along the sand. Slowly but surely, I padded across the sand, the scalding sand giving the impression that it was about to burn the skin off my foot at any moment; I made it to the place where I had previously been with Roy. Lowering myself down to the ground, I hung my legs off the edge of the rock, being sure not to look down into the dark blue part of the ocean that was just below this cliff. I kicked my feet back in forth, humming a soft tune to myself as I once again poured a large amount of water into my mouth, gulping it down happily. These were the moments that I thoroughly enjoyed about being on vacation, having just the small amount of time to myself. It didn't matter if it was half a hour, or only a few minutes. It was better than no time alone at all, being surrounded with people all the time just isn't my personal cup of tea. Sighing to myself, I adverted my eyes towards the dark blue water below, giving a short shudder before I smiled lightly at watched as the water swayed in soft currents. The thing that had always amazed me the most about the ocean was it's ability to be both loud but comforting at the same time, just the crashing of the waves against a rock seemed to lull me softly into a trance, I couldn't even truly explain how it felt to be this entirely relaxed about something.

It took me quite some time to finally decide that it was a good idea to return back to the beach house, I grabbed my water bottle and skipped back to the house, no haste being exerted. Edward was waiting out on the deck when I returned, a coffee cup balancing in-between his automail and flesh hands. Ed had an oddly spaced out look in his eyes but he immediately brightened up when he caught sight of me, sending a light wave and a bright smile. "I feel like my skin is going to start peeling." I groaned, sitting down in the chair beside Edward. "You look quite red." Ed chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. "I feel red." I sighed, cringing in pain when my shoulder hit against the plastic of the chair. I hissed lightly in pain and rubbed the sore spot, trying to soothe some of the pain but not succeeding with it. "Do you want something to ease the pain? It looks like you're going to be stuck out of the sun for a few days." Ed chuckled standing up and offering his hand to help me up. I groaned but grabbed his hand, not letting go until he pulled his hand away as he brought me towards the kitchen. "What is going to be in here that will help?" I asked, pulling myself up onto the counter, a confused look on my face. "Don't think that I didn't come prepared for sunburns, because I did." Ed chuckled, reaching up to the cupboard over the stove and pulling out a bottle of ibuprofen and a bottle of Aloe Vera cream. "Here, take this." Edward stated, pushing the bottle towards me and replacing the empty bottle of water in my room with a new one. "So, you're suggesting that I take this whole bottle, and risk overdose?" I smirked, watching as he pressed his hand to his forehead. "No, I'm suggesting that you take two pills, and hand me back the bottle." He laughed, unscrewing the cap and handing me two tablets, hiding the bottle back in the cupboard. "Thanks." I chuckled, cracking the lid to my water and tossing the pills into my throat before I swallowed a giant sip of water. "Now stand up." Edward stated, easing me to slip off the counter. "This is going to hurt, and I apologize." Ed stated warily, taking a generous amount of Aloe Vera cream in his hand before hesitantly rubbing it against the irritated skin. I hissed in pain but bit my lip and after a while of his massaging I realized that it wasn't so bad afterwards. "Thank you." I chuckled, turning around and smiling at him. "You're welcome, but I would advise to stay away from the sun for a while, but when you go out you can borrow one of my cotton button up shirts and not do up the buttons, it should relieve some of the pain and prevent further burns." Ed advised smiling. "You should become a doctor."


	9. Chapter 9

"Winry, you honestly think I'd make it along as a doctor?" Edward snorted, pulling himself onto the counter beside me. "Of coarse I do, you probably know a lot more about diseases and medicine then most people your age would, so yes you would be a great doctor." I beamed, closing me eyes when I bumped my shoulder against the cupboard. "Be careful there, if you wipe of the aloe it's going to hurt really badly before it fully sinks into your skin." Ed sighed, leaning over to inspect my shoulder before resuming his spot. "There you go again." I chuckled, sliding off the counter and landing on the balls of my feet. "I want to go outside." I whined running a hand through my bangs. "Well, I have a extra cotton shirt that you can wear over top of your bikini, and it should cause no sun to touch your shoulders and you could still go in the water." Ed suggested, remaining on the counter. "I think that's a great idea, please grab me a shirt, I need to talk to Al." I smirked, grabbing my water bottle from the counter beside him. "Of course, mi'lady." Ed saluted, sliding himself off the counter and walking down the hallway, his automail leaving a heavier sound then his flesh. I smiled lightly, twisting the water bottle around in my hands, feeling the coolness of the condensation. I looked out the window closest to the porch and smiled, seeing Ashley and Al still laying down on the sand, but this time Ashley was using Al as a pillow and I couldn't help but smile at the cuteness of the moment, after a few minutes of staring, I decided to back out slightly out of there moments and back off, walking into the living-room and throwing myself on the couch, face down. "Winry, I got the shirt." Ed chuckled, managing to find that I had moved from the kitchen and into the living-room. "Thank's Ed." I groaned, lifting myself off the couch and grabbing the white cotton dress like shirt out of his hands, pulling it over my shoulders. "No problem, I have tons of those shirts." He shrugged, sending a light smile. "No, I hadn't guessed. After all, that isn't what you wear when you get tired of the black shirt and cloak anyway." I muttered, sarcastically, lifting myself off the couch as I rolled my eyes. "Nope, not at all." Ed smirked, following me as I made my way to the door. "Maybe you could take Ashley off our hands for a bit as I talk to Al, show her the rain forest bit?" I asked, escaping into the cool air. "Of coarse I could, haven't got to talk to her much since she's came." Ed smiled as he followed me across the sand, us both in bare-feet I was surprised that automail hadn't all but given him third degree burns around his ports, but surprisingly, it was handling the heat very well. "You just make sure you don't overheat." I chuckled, skipping away from Ed.

"Al, you ready?" I asked, standing in front of Al and Ashley. Ashley was now sprawled on her stomach on the blanket beside Al, a content smile on her face. "Of coarse I am." Al smiled, untying her hand with his before he pulled himself up, standing beside me. "Brother, take good care of her." Alphonse demanded, pointing a finger at Ed. Ed raised his hands in front of his face and shielded himself. "Yes, of coarse brother mine." Ed chirped, pulling himself on to the blanket and starting a conversation with her. I took this as the chance to grab Al's arm, before he decided to pitch a tent and spy on his brother, and drag him along with me. "So what's up?" I asked as I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jean shorts. "Well, it's sort of complicated." Al sighed, running a hand through his long hair. "Well, I have time." I chuckled, watching as Al tried to figure something out in his mind. "Um, well I've liked Ashley for a long time." Al started, pausing to think once again. "How long?" I asked, kicking a little sand under my feet. "Since I met her, so a couple months." he shrugged, staring up at the sky. "Aw." I stated, beaming up at him. "How do I tell her?" Al asked, stopping his walk and looking towards me with pleading eyes. "I need help with this. I want it to be perfect." Al sighed, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. "I can show you a good place to do it, when about do you want to tell her." I asked, smiling at the nervous man standing in front of me. "Well, probably tomorrow night would be ideal, because I know we aren't staying here for much longer." Al shrugged, a light flush crossing his face. "Of course, do you want me to pick a bouquet of exotic flowers for you? I know some good placed on this island, Roy showed me the best places." I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders. "That would be amazing, but can you show me the best place to do it before you go hunting for flowers?" Al asked, winking at me jokingly. "Of coarse I can, follow me."

Alphonse was following after me like a sick puppy, because he had never seen parts of the island that I had because of his sudden sickness. His eyes were scooping in every tree and every flower that was littering the ground, along with trying to remember exactly where we were going so he could take Ashley out here later. I looked at the ground where the sandy path split into two and I checked the tree to the right, checking to make sure that my marker was still imprinted into my tree before I descended down the sandy hill that led to a beautiful saltwater river. "Whoa, how did you find this?" Al asked, walking over to the edge of it and diving a hand in, running his fingers along the smooth rocks at the bottom. "Roy gave me instructions on the whereabouts to it and it took me a while but I found it." I shrugged, joining him at the edge. "This isn't all of it though, this river leads to a hot-tub the water heats up against the rocks as it continues on down, and the water from it spouts from a waterfall a little ways up the hill." I stated, pulling him to get him up. "Come on, I have to show you the waterfall too." I chuckled, skipping ahead of Al.


	10. Chapter 10

I took my time showing Alphonse every place he would need to see if he was going to bring Ashley up here. I had brought him down to the natural hot tub and he found that it was actually more amazing than he had predicted it out to be, the flowers that floated on top of the water were something that would probably catch Ashley's eye. I showed him the path that led to the closest beach, and the more rapid part of the river. "You still haven't shown me where the waterfall is." Al pressed, nudging my hip with his own lightly so he didn't knock me over. "Of course I left it for last because I thought it would be the place that you would tell her, because it would be romantic." I teased, laughing as Al's face flushed. "I love you for doing this, I hope you know that." Al chuckled, following close behind me. "Yeah, but not as much as you love her." I chuckled, smiling as Al flushed once again. "How would you be able to tell anyways?" Al asked, curiosity in his brown-green eyes. "I can see it in your eyes, you look at her with a certain softness that can be deciphered by the people closest to you, being me and Ed, while Ashley remains completely oblivious." I smirked, grabbing Al's hand to help him up one part of rocky hill. "Thanks." Al muttered. "So, do you think Ed is going to accidentally let something spill to Ash?" Al asked, worry showing clearly in his voice. "No, I don't think Edward would do that, because he knows just how much she means to you. He'll wait for you to tell her, and then he'll just have fun teasing you both about it." I snickered, brushing a tuft of hair behind my ear. "Don't deny it, you're going to tease us both too." Al teased, smirking when I nodded. "Of course I am, you are like a brother to me and would you expect anything less from me? Ashley's really the only girl-friend I have, so I can't help but tease you a little bit." I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders. "That's understandable."

"How long does it take to get there? My legs are getting tired." Alphonse whined as he walked alongside me, slowing his pace down the smallest amount. "Of course you would be the one complaining. We'll be there in less than two minutes, at the pace we're going." I chuckled, smirking as Al sighed. "You can't be this impatient around her I hope you know that." I chuckled, smiling as he sighed once again. "I know, but I just like whining to you about it because it's you. I don't really mind the walk, I've done worse before." Al smirked. "You're a clever one, just like your brother." I smiled, stopping as I reached the familiar row of palm trees. "I'm nothing like my brother!" Al protested, stopping beside me. "Of coarse you aren't, now shut-up and listen." I started smacking his shoulder. "What exactly are we listening for?" Al asked, furrowing his brows at me. "We're listening to the water of course I wanted you to hear it before you saw it." I hissed, smirking slightly as he stepped back. "Sorry Winry dearest." Alphonse cooed, silencing to listen to the distant sound of rushing water. "Does it look half as amazing as it sounds?" Al asked, now anxious to run ahead and face it. "Go ahead of me and see for yourself." I chuckled, a smile spreading across my lips as Alphonse dashed off, kicking up sand in his wake.

"So is this the place?" I asked as I approached behind Al, seeing his eyes widen at the rushing water that was falling from a mountain building out of the sand. "Definitely." Al stuttered, walking closer as the spray of water splashed against him. "Does anybody else know about this place other than you?" Al asked, stepping closer to stick a hand in the water, smiling as he swished the unmoving pool of water around. "Besides Roy? Just me, and now you." I smiled, climbing a little farther up to reach one of the more fast-flowing springs. Sitting on the edge of the rock, I kicked my feet back and forth, a smug smile on my face. "Well, you better show this place to Ed one day, when you decide to come to terms with your feelings towards him." Al teased, splashing some water towards me, drops of water falling over my bandeau and Ed's cotton shirt. "Stop." I groaned, hitting my hand against my forehead. "But if you get to tease me because of Ashley, I get to tease you because of Edward." Alphonse smirked, continuing to splash the water around that one common area. "Well, I guess that's fair." I sighed, removing my hand from my face. "Of coarse it is, but don't worry, I won't tease you too badly about it. I'm no Edward." Al sighed, giving up and sitting down at the edge of the water, his legs up to his knees fully submerged in the water, causing the rushing water to build around his legs. "It's really deep particularly in that area, but it get's shallower the farther you go." I smiled, watching as Alphonse peered into the water. "I really have to thank you for showing me this area, I think it's absolutely perfect and I couldn't have asked for somebody better to show me." Al smiled, peering at me from behind his bangs. "You love me." I smirked, blowing a mocking kiss in Al's direction. "That I do."


	11. Chapter 11

"Ashley what are you doing?" I asked as she ran into the house, running back out with a pair of teal converse. "I'm putting on my converse, what the hell does it look like?" She asked, slipping the shoes on and hastily tying up the laces. "That's hardly necessary, you don't need to wear shoes." Ed chuckled shaking his head. "Then I wouldn't be able to do this." Ashley chuckled, adjusting her shirt before throwing herself up into a handstand. "If you fall, I'm going to laugh." I laughed, sitting myself down in the warm, dry sand. "Oh I won't fall, trust me." Ashley chuckled, falling forwards and landing with her feet in the ground, her hands in a bridged shape. It didn't take more than a couple seconds for there to be an alchemic reaction with her feet hitting the ground. "Well I'll be damned." I gaped in awe, staring up at the life-sized sandcastle that now stood in the middle of the beach. "Now do you see why I put shoes on?" Ashley asked, sticking her tongue out at me. "Do you have transmutation circles on the bottoms or something?" Ed asked, standing up to examine the castle closer. Ashley stomped once more, teal sparks flying as her foot collided with the sand and a burst of fire circled around the door-handle that she had created, turning it into a clear glass within seconds. "I swear, you're giving Mustang some rivalry." I chuckled, as she stomped again, causing water to flow over the handle to cool it off. "How do you do that anyway, summon things that aren't in the general area around you?" Ed asked, stepping closer as she opened the door. "I honestly do not know." She shrugged, stepping in and beckoning for me to follow. "Well, you're alchemy is a truly powerful thing, remind me never to get in a fight with you." I chuckled, stepping in after her. "Holy shit." I muttered, stepping in to the castle, my eyes widening as I stared around. "Ever thought of being a interior designer?"

Al and I had just made it to the area that I had claimed as my personal thinking area, once again I sat on the ledge, kicking my feet back and forth over the edge as I stared at the beautiful waves ahead. "I'm getting extremely nervous." Alphonse muttered, lowering himself on the ledge beside me, beginning to kick his own legs. "Don't be, everything's gonna be alright." I soothed, wrapping my arm around his torso and smiling encouragingly up at him. "Am I allowed to ask you about something?" Al asked, pausing the kicking of his feet. "Sure, go ahead." I chuckled, unraveling my arm from around his torso and pressing it to the cold stone below, it was mid-day, time where the sun was the hottest, so I was unsure as to why the rock was so cold. "Do you have feelings for my brother?" Al asked, his green eyes searching my face lightly, trying not to make me uncomfortable. I don't understand what it was, but I found myself gasping for breath at Al's words, and he had to wrap his arms around my body to keep me from falling off the ledge and onto the black rocks and ocean below. Soon enough, my gasping and coughing subsided and I was left with a bright red tint to my cheeks. "I don't know." I whispered, looking down, my hair falling over my eyes. "Of coarse you know." Al pressed, wanting to get an answer out of here. "Well in that case, I probably do have feelings for him, I just haven't come to terms with it enough to bring myself to talk about it." I hushed again, clasping my hands uncomfortably. "Don't worry, I understand. I won't tell him." "Promise" "Pinky promise."


	12. Chapter 12

"Well I'll be damned." Alphonse groaned, causing me to look up and freeze completely. There was a giant castle in the middle of the beach, that had to at least be the same size as the beach house farther down the sand. I felt my mouth drop open and a gasp escaped my lips. "I can see that Ashley's been up to some alchemy." Alphonse shrugged, smiling as he walked closer to the castle, running his finger along the outside. "How advanced is Ashley with her alchemy?" I asked, a dumbfound expression on my face as I followed after Al. "Well, she's already a state alchemist, so I'd say she's pretty advanced. "She makes Edward's alchemic skills look nonexistent." I gasped, smirking slightly. "Well, I wouldn't say that. She just has.. more style than Edward?" Alphonse questioned, cocking his head to the side as he padded to where a sandy door was located. "Well, I'd have to say that this door handle is very creative." Al pointed out, wrapping his hand around the handle to open the door. I was surprised to say the least; that the door hadn't all but crumbled to the ground, but surprisingly it stuck together. "She probably fused the door with glass so it wouldn't fall apart." Alphonse assured as I stared at the door. "That makes sense." I shrugged stepping in to stare at the inside. There was a staircase lining the far wall, and sand paintings on the wall that seemed to have been just put there, the fallen sand now lining the edges of the walls. "I can see that they've been drawing transmutation circles." Al shrugged, beginning his way up the staircase. "Ashley!" Alphonse called, walking up the stairs, me not far behind. "Oh Jesus, climb the stairs before she mobs you on them and causes us both to die while falling down." I huffed, pushing on Al's back, causing him to speed up. "I don't think she would do that." Al chuckled when he got to the top of the stairs. "Oh she would, that child is the spawn of Satan."

"So, how do you like it?" Ashley asked, skipping across the sand, sporting teal converse. "I love it, but I'm starting to feel anxious because how the hell did you get the second story to stay stable?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "Don't worry, it won't fall. I've done this thousands of time, and the first time was the only time it collapsed, every one following was improved." Ashley beamed, jumping to Alphonse and wrapping her arms around his waist in a small hug before pulling away. "Where's Ed?" I asked, smiling at Ashley as I noticed Al's blush. "He should be in the second room to the left, I have no clue what he's doing, but he's been in there for a hour." Ashley shrugged, smirking as I grimaced. "Thanks." I chuckled, padding down the hallway. When I reached the second door on the left, I decided against knocking because it would be near useless due to the sand. Reaching down, I twisted the door handle and opened the door, finding Edward laying on his stomach as he traced arrays into the ground. "Edwaaard." I called into the room, smiling lightly as I skipped in. "Hey Winry." Ed smiled lifting himself up into a sitting position. "What are you doing up here all alone?" I asked, lowering myself onto my knees in front of him. "You're talking to me like I'm a child, and I don't like it." Edward chuckled, standing up and brushing his stomach off, the excess sand falling to the ground. "Do you wanna go for a swim, I'm bored." Edward shrugged, dropping his hand down to help me up. "Sure, why not." I chuckled, taking his hand in mine.

Edward was reluctant to let our hands drop until we stood at the water, that's when he finally let his hand float down to his side. I blushed slightly and smiled when I caught him gazing at me. "So, are we going to swim, or stand here?" I asked, nudging him with my hip. "Well, I'm waiting for you to decide that." Edward chuckled, beginning to wade into the water. "Is the saltwater going to affect my sunburn?" I asked, wading in after him. "I'm not completely sure. But I wouldn't completely submerge yourself just in case." Edward shrugged. "Okay, I'll just sit down after I've come to a certain depth, so I can watch the sunset while you swim." I smiled, finding a suitable place and sitting myself in the water. The water came to just above my collar bones, so I was in no risk of getting water over it unless I dunked down lower. Edward chuckled and lowered himself into the water beside me, staring out on the horizon. "So, what did Al talk to you about?" Ed asked, raising an eyebrow as I smirked. "He's planning on telling Ashley he likes her."


	13. Chapter 13

"Is he really?" Edward asked, the smile on his face more happiness than I had ever seen it bare. "He is. I showed him the appropriate place to do it, and gave him some 'female pointers' so he understood what he should say, and I strongly believe he's going to win her over." I smirked, wrapping my arms around my legs. "Of coarse he will, who would be stupid enough to deny Al?" Ed smirked, resting his arms behind him so he could lean back, whilst keeping his legs in the water.

"Definitely not Ashley, she's one smart cookie." I chuckled, staring out once again at the horizon. "She is, she's top of the class in almost everything, and more advanced in alchemy than Mustang or myself. It's slightly scary, but I can live with it." Ed shrugged, dropping his head back so he could stare at the clouds. "She's amazing and just face it, you can't live with anyone being better than you, so you're going to try to prove yourself." I chuckled, my chuckle turning into a laugh when he gasped louder than needed.

"I will not!" Edward shouted, splashing some water in my direction. "Yes you will! I've known you for two long to be wrong!" I shrieked, laughing as I splashed him back. "Incorrect." Edward chuckled, coming closer and wrapping me in his arms, causing a squeal to escape my lips. "Put me down!" I squealed, wiggling to attempt getting out of his grip. "Take back what you said." Edward teased, loosening his grip as he walked deeper into the water. "Never!" I shouted, wrapping my arms around his neck to keep from tumbling into the water. "Then face your demise." Edward snickered dropping his hold on me, causing me to fall down into the water, my arms around his neck dragging him with me.

"You're an ass." I hissed, stumbling from the water, my hair and my clothing dripping. Edward's shirt now hung hopelessly over my shoulders, see through and sopping wet. "Don't deny it, you had fun." Edward teased, making his way to the porch and throwing a towel over his shoulder to me. I just managed to catch the white fabric before it fluttered to the sandy ground. "I did have fun, but I didn't really expect to get completely soaked either." I chuckled, bending over and brushing the towel through my hair, drying it enough so that it wouldn't be bothering me before I moved on to the rest of my body.

It took me fifteen minutes to finally dry my clothes enough so it was acceptable for me to go inside. Edward had already disappeared inside quite some time ago, and Ashley and Alphonse had yet to leave the castle that Ashley created. I took one look back at the monstrous castle before smirking, discarding my towel over the ledge of the porch before I ran inside. When I reached my room, I closed the door behind me and hastily pulled off my clothes, walking to my attached bathroom and throwing the wet clothes in the bathtub, to be thrown in the dryer later.

Without very much thought, I pulled out a simple black bandeau and a pair of short jean shorts before I pulled them on, smiling lightly at myself before I threw my hair in a messy bun and made my way back downstairs. It didn't take long before I found myself sprawled out on the couch, my hair falling out of my bun as I slowly drifted off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

I was woken up early the next morning to a frantic Alphonse, he shook my shoulders and called my name until my eyes finally fluttered open in alert. "What?" I asked groggily, swinging my legs off the side of the couch, my bare-feet hitting the floor with a thump. "Sorry for waking you." Alphonse frowned, his bangs falling over his face. "What's the problem?" I asked stretching my hands behind my head and letting a yawn escape. "I needed you to help me get things set up." Al flushed, scratching his head with a nervous laugh. "Aren't you doing this later today? Why do you need to set up?" I asked, raising to my feet as he did. "Because I want everything to be perfect, and perfect takes time." Al shrugged, following me into the kitchen to grab himself a water bottle.

"Whatever you do, she's going to love it, so I would suggest not aiming for perfection. Besides, you have Ed and his magic flowers to assist you, do you not?" I asked, reaching into the fridge and grabbing the carton of milk from the bottom along with a cup from the cupboard. I could feel Al's eyes trained on me as I poured myself a glass of milk, and I could tell that he was contemplating something. "I guess you're right, do you think you can convince him into making me a bunch of flower wreaths, and strings of flowers?" I looked at him incredulously as I placed the carton of milk in the fridge. "You are completely hopeless aren't you. Why don't you just ask him?" I asked, grabbing my glass of milk.

"Because he won't wake up." Al groaned, pointing down the hallway. "You being the alchemist, I thought you would find some creative way to wake him up." I groaned, placing my cup on the counter and heading for the hallway.

Sighing, I burst through Edward's door, not even bothering to knock because I knew very well that he would not respond. The time off of missions has hit him hard and he barely heard anything while he was sleeping, he never had to deal with waking up to surprise attacks anymore, and for that I was thankful. I laughed lightly to myself when I found Edward with his legs falling off the edge of the bed, his feet against the ground and his arms sprawled out above his head under the pillow. "You're adorable." I chuckled to myself, walking over to the edge of the bed and nudging him with my knee. "Edo, wake up." I mumbled, nudging his leg once again.

Ed groaned and rolled over, pulling his legs close to his chest and sighing as he buried his head in the pillow. "That's it." I mumbled, crawling onto my knees beside him before I used my knee to nudge him off the bed, him falling with a satisfying crash. Edward let out a shout of pain and stood up, glaring at me with eyes that could kill. "Sorry, you wouldn't wake up and your brother needs some help so he sent me off to wake you up, it seemed like the only way to do it." I shrugged, crawling off the bed and standing before him, a hand outstretched to help him up. "Thanks."

I walked back out into the hallway, a groggy Edward following in my footsteps. "Al, I managed to wake the flower man up." I smiled as Al chuckled nervously to himself. "So, you needed me?" Ed asked, scratching his head lightly. "Yes, I was wondering if you could transmute me some flowers." Al smirked when Ed groaned. "How many?" Ed asked. "A couple.." Al started. "Hundred." Edward groaned to himself and collapsed on the armchair, fake sobbing onto the cushion. "You've done it Al, you've broken Ed."


	15. Chapter 15

"Pardon my rudeness, but.. why the fuck do you need a couple hundred flowers!?" Ed exclaimed into the pillow, his voice muffled. "Well.. I would guess that Ashley likes flowers.. and I told you what I was planning on doing right?" Al asked, a blush forming across his tanned cheeks. "Oh, Christ. You're simply hopeless." Ed groaned, standing up and glaring at his brother. "Okay, care to tell me what type of flowers you need so I can get this show on the road?" Edward groaned, standing up and straightening up his jeans with a frown. "I'm really sorry, but I don't really know." Al scratched his head with a nervous smile. "I hope you know that I'm never doing this for you again." Ed hissed, placing his hands on his hip. "Yes, I understand Sensai." Alphonse chuckled, bowing mockingly before grabbing my arm and dragging me out onto the deck.

"You have to help me Winry! What type of flowers?" Al stressed, pacing across the deck with his breath coming out in huffs and groans. "Well, from personal experiences, I would prefer Lillie or Hydrangeas." I shrugged, pulling myself into a chair. "What personal experience?" Al asked, stopping in his tracks and turning on his heel to face me, a mischievous smirk on my face. "Remember when I went to that school for a month in Rush Valley?" I asked, feeling my face flush. Al nodded his head knowingly. "Yeah well, almost every guy tried extremely hard to get in my pants." I blushed. "Hydrangeas again." Al stated, turning on his heel and dashing back into the beach-house.

Chuckling to myself, I followed in after him, walking past the two boys as they argued over flower colors. "Damn, they are just like females before a wedding." I sighed, holding onto the railing as I took the stairs two at a time, dashing into my room, shutting the door behind me. I quickly stripped from my jean-shorts into a pair of high waist-ed floral shorts and pulled on a light-pink tank-top to match, before brushing my hair out and tying it into a fishtail braid down my back. "Alright, now to help Alphonse out with his arrangement and preparation." I mumbled to myself before exiting my room, my feet dragging along the ground.

A/N; I apologize, but the chapters may get shorter. I thought summer meant more free time but I guess I was wrong :c


	16. Chapter 16

"Okay, so what do I need to do first?" I asked Alphonse, adjusting the buttons on my shorts. "Well, you could always help me with decorating the area." Al shrugged, holding a singular bouquet in his hand. "Yes I could, but with what?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side. "You let me take care of that." Al smiled, poking my nose. "You might as well head up there, it's gonna take me around fifteen minutes to help brother prepare all the flowers that we need for just decorating the water and the surrounding area. "Alright, can I sort of swim in the water until you get there?" I asked, smiling lightly. "Of coarse you can, I don't care really." Al shrugged, jogging back into the kitchen, causing me to shake my head and exit into the sunlight.

"It's going to really suck if Ashley happens to wake up while they're working on the flowers." I chuckled, pulling my tanktop over my head to leave me in only my bandeau and shorts. I walked to the edge of the natural hot-tub and I sighed as I lowered myself into it. The heat flowing over my body and leaving me in a content state of mind. "This is the epitome of heaven." I whispered, crossing my arms behind my head and sighing once again, swishing my legs around in the water. "Winry?" A voice asked, as footprints came into hearing range. "Hey Al, so what do you have for us to work with?" I asked, turning myself around to see Al, his face red with a wicker basket full of roses at his side. "Well, Ed made me roses, so I could put the petals in the water. He said it'd be 'romantic.'" Al mocked, placing the basket on the sand beside me. "It will make things seem romantic, we could also send some roses face up down the stream so they will fall out of the waterfall, I've done it before with the flowers that reside around here." I smiled, sliding out of the water and grabbing the handle of the basket. "You might want to do something with the sand, like make it into a pattern by melting it into glass?" I questioned, pulling a singular rose and beginning my work on the outside of the hot-tub, adding a hint of red to the black and white.

"What pattern do you think would work the best here?" Al asked, servaying the sand as he crouched down, drawing and redrawing patterns in the sand. "How about you do a checkered theme, by putting the glass like a checkerboard, and I can place some petals in the unfilled spaces and you can fill it over with glass, so it seems as if the petals are frozen in the glass." I suggested, shrugging my shoulders as I continued with the petals. "Thank you." Al smiled, drawing a transmutation circle in front of where he was standing. He pressed his hand to the circle, and green light poured from him. I couldn't help but stare as the sand in every area in sight slowly turned into a glass/sand checkerboard. "Are you willing to help me with the petals?" Al asked, smiling down at my gawking face. "Well, if I step out of this water, I have a chance of ruining the glass with water." I stated, frowning. "Don't worry, I can repair it." Al shrugged, grabbing a rose and filling one of the empty spaces with petals. "Fine, I'll help." I groaned, stepping out of the water with a shrug and a groan.

A/N; I told you to beware of shorter chapters. :c


	17. Chapter 17

"Wow." Alphonse breathed, taking a step back and gazing with grey eyes at the checkered ground surrounding. "I told you it'd be beautiful. It turned out even better than expected." I picked up my tank-top from where Alphonse had hung it over a branch so it didn't get frozen in the glass along with the petals. "Yeah, I think it did to." Al smiled, placing his hands above his hipbones. "Do you think she'll like it?" Al asked, scratching his forehead. "No." I stated, smirking at his widened eyes. "She'll love it." I finished, sending Al a smile and a laugh when he gasped in relief. "You know, sometimes I have such a strong hatred towards you, that I just want to throw logic out the windows and murder you." Al stated, cocking his head to the side with a smirk. "And this is one of those times?" I asked sarcastically, almost laughing as he stepped closer. "Are you suggesting I run?" I asked, stepping back as he stepped toward me. "Just slightly." Al chuckled as he made a swipe for my arm, but me turning on my heel and running down the sandy path was the only thing that stopped him.

Edward Elric's POV

"Good-morning Ed." A timid voice yawned, me turning my head to see a tired looking Ashley enter the kitchen. "Morning." I smiled, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring a fresh cup for Ashley, handing it to her with a smile. "Thanks." She smiled, bringing the white porcalain up to her lips with a sigh. "I'm not used to getting given things, so really, thank-you." She smiled, placing her cup onto the counter, jumping up beside it with a grin. "Really, you're welcome." I smiled, leaning against the stove, pulling my own cup against me. "You should know I'm very avid in giving as much as I can whenever I can, no matter the thing." I smiled, watching as her brown eyes lowered on my eyes. "Alphonse and you are two of the nicest guys I have ever met, honestly." Ashley smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. "So, Alphonse, eh?" I questioned teasingly, raising my eyebrows as a red tint appeared on her cheeks. "What about him?" Ashley whispered, staring into the liquid filling her cup. "What do you think of him?" I urged, stepping closer and smirking as her face reddened more. "I think the both of us can tell what I would say by the redness of my cheeks." Ashley chuckled, lifting her eyes to stare out the window. "Yes, I know." I smiled, bowing my head lightly to stare at the tile.

"Edward, can I talk to you for a moment?" Alphonse asked, sending a small wave in Ashley's direction along with a smile. "Sorry, I'll be right back Ash." I smiled, waving before following after the footsteps of my brother. "Do you think you could get her ready?" Al asked, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. "What do you mean by 'get her ready'?" I asked, smirking as I air quoted. "Brother, you're a pervert." Al hissed, smacking his palm against his face. "No, I mean Winry has some really nice strapless summer dresses that Winry already suggested to get her to wear, she said that there is one that is floor-length with roses at the skirt and a black top that would work." Al smirked, earning a clap on the shoulder by me. "I got your back, Al. Now go, make me proud." I smiled, stepping back and dashing up the stairs.


	18. Chapter 18

Winry Rockbell's POV

I let out a squeal of delight that shocked Edward out of the sleep that he had managed to surrender to; when I saw the two familiar figures of my best friend, and my 'brother' decending down the hill and back towards us. "Huh, what happened?" Edward jolted standing up and glacing around. While jumping up and down I raised my finger and pointed, seeing both Ashley and Alphonse hand in hand made even Edward let out a triumphant holler and take off down the beach, me following in his coattails. Edward did his best and pounced on Alphonse, taking him down to the sand as he straddled his torso and I ran into Ashley and picked her into my arms, swinging her around much to her protest. "Hey!" Ashley squeaked, smacking my back and forcing me to let her down. "Sorry. But now you are my sister in law and I couldn't help but greet the newlyweds." I chuckled causing both Al and Ashley to gasp "Winry!" at the same time. "Sorry! But you had it coming for you!" I chuckled, smiling as I watched Ashley rush over and help Ashley to his feet as Edward stood over them with the stupidest smile on his face. "I'm proud of you Al." Edward smiled, clapping Al once more on the back before walking over to me and picking me up bridal style. "Now lets return to the house and all go for a swim? Shall we?" Edward chuckled, holding me close against his body as began walking towards the beach house, leaving Ashley and Alphonse behind.

After I changed into my bikini I stood outside in the warmed water, the cold wind blowing my hair out behind me. Without waiting for Edward to come out of the house, I dove into the water, submerging myself completely in the salty mess before returning to the surface for air, my hair now dripping wet and not at all suitable for being around people. "So, you couldn't wait for me, Eh?" Edward chuckled, slowly wading in the water after me. "No, I couldn't resist the temptation of the water. I thought you knew me better." I chuckled, dodging the burst of water he sent my way. "Hey! I didn't do anything now would you stop splashing me!" I giggled, dodging another hit. Edward laughed lightly and looked towards the house, smiling as his brother and Ashley emerged from inside, both in their swimming gear.

A few hours had passed of us in the water, and Alphonse and Ashley were the only ones left in the ocean. The sun had began to set and I was enjoying my spot in the sand just fine. Edward was layin beside me with his automail just brushing my hip, but I took no notice to it. Edward stood up and I squinted my eyes up at him, watching as he offered his hand to me. "What are you even doing?" I asked, taking his hand with a groan as he pulled me up and into his arms. "Talking about a night of get-togethers." Edward smirked, a red flush appearing on his pale cheeks. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand as he kept me pressed against him, air barely escaping my lungs. "Oh, fuck it." Edward mumbled, leaning forward and molding his lips with mine.


	19. Summer Paradise Epilogue

That kiss was one that drove me insane, and weeks later, I felt the same way. I had barely left my room, only when I needed to did I do as much as go downstairs. But this morning; it was inevitable that I would have to leave the room that I had resided in for the past couple weeks. Ashley had already come in and helped me pack up the few items I had scattered around, talking about how happy she was with Al with a grand smile on her face. Seeing that she was so happy had made me happy for the few minutes that she spent in my room. Smiling softly, I picked up my suitcase in my hand and shook my head lightly, before twisting the door-handle and escaping into the hallway, my eyes immediately dropping to the floor. "Winry?" Alphonse's voice called and my head snapped up. "Are you alright?" He asked, cocking his head to the side in worry. "I'll be alright Al, I'm just.. really confused." I stated, furrowing my eyebrows and continuing my way down the stairs, placing my suitcase at the foot of the stairs to be picked up later. "Do you want to go for a walk, and we can talk about it? I know Ed's side.. but not yours." Al frowned when I sighed. "Yeah, That should be alright. Let's go." I kept my eyes glued on the floor as I walked out the door, Al following behind me as he quickly told Ashley about us heading out for a little bit, but I kept walking. My hands balled up in the pockets of my shorts. "Winry, hold up!" Al shouted, jogging to catch up with me. "Al, I don't even know what I feel about what happened. I'm hiding from seeing Ed but I don't know why." I sighed, running a hand through my bangs. "Do you think you may be denying your feelings towards him? He's barely left his room ever since it happens because he's afraid of what you'll say when you see him next." Al sighed. "I don't know if I'm denying my feelings.. but I do know that I love him." I sighed, stopping where I stood as my eyes widened. "I love him." I whispered, as if testing out the word. Alphonse laughed and stood in front of me, a grin spread across his lips. "You know what I think you should do?" He questioned, cocking his head to the side with a grin. "You want me to go after him?" I questioned, rolling my eyes. "Yes, go get im' tiger." Al chuckled, smacking my shoulder lightly as I took off running as fast as my legs took me.

Ashley looked at me curiously as I all but ran through the front door, my breathing falling out in rushed pants and my hands shaking lightly at my sides. "Win-" "Where's Ed?" I demanded, cutting her off. Ashley smiled knowingly before raising a finger and pointing down the hallway where Edward's bedroom resided down. "He's in his room." She smiled, nodding her head as I smiled and began walking down the hallway, stopping in front of the mahogany door that led to his bedroom. I hesitated for a moment before I rose a fist to the wood, knocking lightly albeit loudly. "Come in." the muffled voice called from the other side and I frowned, sliding open his door. When I walked in, Edward had his arms wrapped around a pillow and he was facing the wall, his golden hair falling over the comforter behind him. Without a word, I walked to his bedside and sat myself down at the end of his bed, the springs creaking lightly. "Ed." I breathed, causing him to jump lightly and turn to face me. My eyes were glued unseeingly on the wall on the opposite side of the room. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I reacted the way I did. I just-." Sighing I placed my head in my hands. "I've never been liked by a guy this way before and it scared me, so I had no idea what to do; or how to respond so I ended up running." I sighed again and turned towards Edward to face his wide golden eyes. "But I've come to my senses, and I'm willing to continue what happened five days ago." Edward gasped and sat up straight, the comforter falling off him and exposing his bare chest. I twisted my body towards him and crossed my legs, watching as he slowly rose himself from where he sat and crawled across the bed over to me; my breathing caught in my throat. "Are you sure about this?" Edward whispered, his face inches from my own. I nodded my head softly, the words refusing to escape my mouth. I fluttered my eyes closed as he inched closer, the ability to feel his body heat flooded over me and I smiled lightly. When his lips pressed against my own; I was suddenly able to breathe again.

I stood at the foot of the water once again, the sunset stunning me once again with it's magnificent beauty. It was hard to believe, that after so long of us living here, and it becoming almost a home to us all, that we had to leave. This placed had enveloped some of my nightmares, and created some of my wildest dreams. But the experience had still been amazing. When a pair of arms snaked around my waist I sighed and leaned into the firm body that I knew as Edward's. Ed spun me around with his arms remaining around my waist, a small smile on his face as I grinned up at him. "This is our summer paradise Winry." He whispered, his face inches from my own. "And I promise, we'll return. Someday." and with that he leant down and collided his lips with mine, for the last time on that small island.

A/N;

Well shit.. It's over. The second story I've actually finished this month. I don't know whether to be proud of myself or cry.  
Thank you all for reading this, you have no idea how much it actually means to me.  
I'll miss you Summer Paradise.


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